Dear Thyroid^TM

I’ve been reading a bunch of 2010 top food trend predictions this past week and they got me thinking. I decided to make a list too. While everyone else may be predicting the most popular conventional and consumer-driven food choices for this upcoming year, I’d like to make some health and food predictions that I hope will become popular — especially in our lovely little (or, not-so-little!) thyroid community.

1. Superfoods are trendy these days, and usually happen to be exotic, inaccessible foods that most people have never heard of, let alone are willing to track down at the health food store and shell out the money to purchase. But we’re all familiar with coconut, and I truly consider it to be a superfood. Healthy variations of coconut (preferably organic, minimally-processed, unsweetened) are widely available on the internet and in grocery stores. Though coconut products are not recommended for hyperthyroidism patients, as coconut is known to speed the thyroid, those with hypo symptoms can use it liberally in their diets. I use coconut shreds in my salad for lunch everyday, and coconut oil in my cooking at night. Because it’s full of fat (good, plant-based fat), it satiates and leaves me feeling full and satisfied, and stabilizes my blood sugar so I’m not hungry an hour later and also don’t get the shakes. It’s good at speeding up the thyroid, aiding in weight loss, and treating underlying infection, all while strengthening the immune system.

2. Let’s kill “everything in moderation” this year. A little endocrine disruptor here, and a few bites of soy there — we may put it out of our minds, but it still does affect our bodies. Instead of believing everything in moderation is okay (ie: “a little can’t hurt you”), let’s remember that our bodies are already sick. Anything we can do to lighten their load is worth the effort.

Though, I also don’t think we need to get down on ourselves (or get neurotic). What I’m talking about here are the conscious choices we make that we know aren’t good for us. We simply cannot possibly avoid every chemical in the air, water, food, food packaging, etc. around us. It is so pervasive. But, when we can choose — when we have the conscious choice — let’s choose a lower toxic load for our bodies.

3. More and more of us have decided to go gluten-free, and also identify and eliminate other food allergies. For most of us, these choices have equaled big health gains. My hope for the New Year is that we’ll keep spreading the good word, providing our fellow thyroid patients with sound gluten-free (and food-allergy) resources for them to determine if adopting a GF lifestyle is for them. And hey, gluten-free eating is becoming very mainstream. Even those who aren’t “sick” are finding they feel better when eliminating wheat and other grains from their diet.

4. And finally, this year, I’d like to see the creation of a patient-centered symptom list. I’ve mentioned it over and over — the “acceptable symptoms” list for thyroid patients and the various incantations of thyroid disease is limiting, misleading, and exclusive. I’d like to propose that we create our own list. Meaning, share your symptoms with us — all of them. Whether you just have thyroid disease, or you have two or three or four other diseases and conditions to contend with… what are your symptoms? Because many of the symptoms we experience can be things we don’t want to talk about openly, I propose we keep it anonymous. I’m going to be ironing out the details in weeks to come, but for now, if you feel comfortable, email, Twitter, Facebook, or comment some of your symptoms — whether they’re on the “acceptable list” or not; whether you think they’re thyroid-related or not. Make sure to mention that it’s a symptom you want to add to our list. I’d like to display this somewhere for those pre-diagnosis, or those new to thyroid disease to learn from, and use as a legitimate resource, versus the ten-bullet symptom list they’ll find at their doctor’s office. It can also be used as a resource when their doctor tells them their symptom is “simply not related to thyroid disease”.

What are your health resolutions for the New Year? What trends do you hope catch on? What symptoms do you experience that you think need added to the list?

Until Next Week,

Love Always,

Liz

Have a question, comment, story, love letter, or rant/rave to send me?: Liz@DearThyroid.com

Dear Thymon:

I swear, eventually you will get me kicked out of a doctor’s office. The “normals” with the medical degree don’t know any better, so kind of take it easy on them.  This GI doc seems promising.  I stress “seems”.  We’ll see what happens.

Thanks for coming to my rescue though, to pound my problems through his thick, male, normal skull.  I really think he was terrified of us.

Hee Hee.

I see your point, Thymon, after waiting over 6 months to see him, the first words out of his mouth were “Oh, are you here for a gastric bypass referral?”

As soon as you heard that, Thymon, you drew your little sword and ran to defend my honor.  As John was trying to find a parking place, he missed out on the beginning of the duel and came in late.  When he came in, it looked like you had started the fight.

I kept trying to tell Dr. Normal that the weight was due to you, but he really didn’t want to listen.  Finally, you drew your sword and held it to his throat. Unfortunately, no one else can see you and it comes out of me like this:

Me: Shut up and listen!  I’m here for a reason.  I have severe stomach pain, I can’t eat and I’m losing weight.

Doc:  We’ll address your weight issue in a little bit.

Me:  F#(% you.!  I have Hashimoto’s, pernicious anemia, severe Vitamin D deficiency, severe B12 deficiency, Rathke’s cleft cyst, and Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency.

Doc:  I see…Where did you read this?

Me:  What do you mean, where did I read this?

Doc:  All of these things you mentioned are rare.  You couldn’t possibly have all of this wrong.

Me:  Call my endo.  His records should be in your chart.

My husband came in the room after this and the doctor started to examine me and actually listened to my problems with my stomach.  A few minutes later, he called the nurse in and started to tell me his “plan” for making me well.

Doc:  Ok, the first thing I want you to do is to see a nutritionist to be put on a liquid diet.  If that doesn’t work, we will think about gastric bypass.

Me:  No f—ing way!   Are you not listening? I said….

Doc (interrupting):  Are you going to listen to my plan?  If not, then this appointment is over.

John (my husband):  Jackie, you promised me you’d behave.

Me:  Ok, I’m listening

Doc:  No, you’re angry.  We’ll continue at another time.

Me:  Just TELL ME ALREADY!  I’ll still be angry, but TALK, damn it!

I swear, Thymon, just like Zorro’s “Z” you slashed a “T” right on his throat.  Your sharp sword becomes my sharp tongue in the real world.

You got the doc to proceed with his plan.

Doc:  Ok.  Again, I want you to see the Nutritionist/Obesity specialist and go on a liquid diet.  We’ll see why your Vitamin B12 and D levels are low.

Me:  Ok. Listen.  I am taking growth hormone, B12 injections, synthroid, prescription Vitamin D (100,000IU) a week.  I really want to talk to my endo before I do this.

Doc:  Oh, I didn’t know you had other things wrong.  You never told me about the lack of intrinsic factor.  You’ll have to take the shots to get the B12.  Your body doesn’t metabolize it.

Me:  See, you WEREN’T listening.

Doc:  Well, I just assumed that since you were obese, you were just overeating junk food and stuff.  Ok, now I want you to go to the psychiatrist to deal with your emotional issues.  In the meantime, I want to schedule some scopes and the capsule endoscopy as you might have a twisted intestine and that is what may be causing your severe stomach pain, and not because you don’t know when to stop eating, like I originally thought.

Me:  Thank you.

Doc:  Although, since you have a thyroid condition, your digestion will be off due to your metabolism.  Once you get your thyroid in range your stomach may go back to normal.  Bye.  Call my nurse to schedule the testing.

Haven’t had any testing done.  But Thymon, just like in the ER, you got them to sit up and finally listen to me.  You are saving my life.

By the way, for all my fellow “Thyroidians” out there, I recently found out from my endo that due to the autoimmune aspect, a lot of people end up with lack of intrinsic factor.  This is an enzyme in your stomach that only depletes from gastric bypass or some autoimmune diseases.  Hashi’s is one of them.  Graves I believe, also.  Due to lack of intrinsic factor, your body cannot metabolize B12.  Your body needs the intrinsic factor for your body to use B12.  The only way for the B12 to get to stay in your system is by intramuscular injections of it.  I only take 1 shot a month and already my B12 levels are almost normal.  My fatigue has also improved.  So have my “crazy” spells.  My doc said that I was so deficient for so long, I was getting early stage B12 dementia.  It was also causing B12 urinary incontinence.  Please, please get your B12 levels checked.

Also, due to the Hashi’s, I found out that a lot of Hashi people have Vitamin D deficiency.  I got this off the Living with Hashimoto’s Disease Facebook page.  Everyone on there has Vitamin D deficiency.

Then I called my endo told him about it, and did some research with him to make sure I wasn’t getting wrong info.  There is a connection between thyroid problems and parathyroid problems.  They tend to run together.  Parathyroid problems can cause severe Vitamin D deficiency.

If you have parathyroid tumors, your Vitamin D will NOT go back to normal until the tumors are gone.

My endo will be testing my parathyroid levels next month and doing another thyroid ultrasound and possibly a biopsy.

You hear that, Thymon.  Just be nice and keep running to my rescue and maybe, just maybe, the endo will let you stay with me.  Otherwise, (making a slashing motion across my throat)  LOL!

Everyone have a fantastic holiday season and I’ll talk to you in January!

Love,

Jackie

(Bio) “Hi. My name is Jackie, and I am 40 years old.  My life ended as I knew it, the Spring I turned 30.  I didn’t know what was wrong with me.  Doctors insisted I was crazy.  I almost believed them. Thank you, Dear Thyroid for your site. I hope this letter I write will finally allow me to accept my condition.”

Setting: It’s 12:59AM, and the classroom is filling with special needs endocrinologists. (You know the ones who do not provide THE BEST care for their thyroid patients.) It’s time for them to live in their patients’ shoes, even if just for a little while. Thank you for coming to observe the class. You may have some pointers to share with the ’students’ later on.

“Come in, come in. Take your seats, class; we’ll get started as soon as you are all sitting down”

“My, this is a big class!  Well, anyway, Good morning. My name is Sistah Thyresa and I will be your teacher, your guide for this class. I know that it’s very early in the morning, in fact it’s just barely morning, but you are going to be experiencing many things that your patients go through, so get ready, it’s going to be a busy class.

“First of all, let us stand for the Pledge of Thylegiance, “I pledge I don’t hear you…”

What do you mean, you don’t remember the words? Oh, all right, sit down. Let’s work on some math. (Groans in the back of the room)

No moaning back there; get out a pencil and paper. Okay. Little Johnny gets a penny for his allowance starting on Monday, two cents on Tuesday, etc. How much money will he have on the 16th day? On the 21st day?

(Mumbling, muttering, no one is raising their hand with an answer) “Can’t anyone figure this out?! It’s simple math!

Shirley raises her hand, “I have some extra credit; I did a time line all about me”.

“I don’t care about that, Shirley; in fact I don’t want to see it at all. All I care about is what these test scores say, right here (Sistah Thyresa is pointing emphatically to papers on her desk). These test scores say that you are fine! I don’t even know why the heck your here! Sit down!

Mark in the back corner is shivering, raising his hand. “What is it Mark? Oh, you’re cold. Too bad. Go get a sweater from your locker, and come right back. Hurry up!”  (While Mark is cold, other members of the class are sweating bullets)

“John, Lucy, Amy over there, if you’re hot, take off your lab coats, for goodness sake, don’t just sit there sweating like pigs. What am I to do with you?”

“Let’s take a snack break so that I can get my wits about me”.

Take out your snacks. I need to see them. If they contain gluten, dairy, or if they have goitergenic properties, into the waste basket they go.  “How many people have milk and cookies? Uh oh, into the basket they go.”

“Lucy, that raw broccoli and dip looks healthy, but, nope, into the basket. Give me the strawberries young lady. Is that coffee caffeinated, mister?”  (Sister Thyresa writes HOMEWORK on the blackboard)

List 10 foods that are OK for persons with thyroid issues to eat.

Here is your first assignment for homework. Don’t worry there will be more to come. No one leaves this class without learning something and without having to learn more.

“John, why are you tapping your foot like that? Restless legs? Well, why don’t you get up and tap dance for the whole class? That will get out some of your restlessness”

In fact, class, let’s get ready for some ’show and tell’.

(Each student prepares to share something with the class).

“Okay class, we haven’t got all day. Let’s begin. Amy?”

Amy stands and begins to tell the class about her pet beta fish and how it died and made her sad. Sister Thyresa interrupts. “Amy, that’s sad, yes indeed, but enough, we have others to listen to. Thank you, sit down”.

Mark in the back raises his hand, then comes to the front “I participated in a triathlon recently” Sister Thyresa says, “How nice, let’s move on. Sit down”

After a couple more students attempt to participate, but get little response from Sister Thyresa, no one raises their hands anymore. Their long faces give away their feelings.

“Well, why so glum everyone?” asks Sister Thyresa.

“It’s apparent from the looks on your faces that you don’t like the way that I’m conducting this class. What do you want me to say? What more do you want me to do?”

Lucy, speaking quietly, with a little choking sound in her voice responds, “For a teacher, you don’t seem to care much at all about your students”.

Sister Thyresa does not appear aghast or even upset at all. She smiles and nods her head. A+ Lucy. You get it. In just this short time together, you are beginning to understand.”

The other members of the class, a little weary, but wide eyed begin to sit up straighter and listen.

Sister Thyresa takes a chair and sits with her class. “You are doctors. You have learned how to treat, but you have not been taught how to care. You know the terms, the diagnoses, the test scores, but you need to know your patients. You need to CARE about them. Most of all, you need to listen. Validate each of your patients’ concerns. It really doesn’t take that much longer for you. If they know that you care about them as you attempt to care for them. You may not have all the answers, so be honest with them. Explore with your patients. Don’t be afraid to try something new with them. Be patient with your patients. They are persons first.

This class is dismissed. You will have to decide if you pass or fail. That will be determined by you back in your office. Go, and be well.

Dear Thyroid,

I must admit that since you attempted your hostile take over, I have not looked at the world quite the same.  Luckily, I have come to meet others of like disease who realize that venting and laughter *are* the best medicine.  They are also quite a talented and artistic bunch.

I was on my way to work when a song came on the radio–and I realized that so many songs remind me of you and what you have done to me.  So, thyroid, this one’s for you:

(To the tune of Purple Haze)